Education and health are two essential components in the area of human development.
Haiti HDI (Human Development Index), that assess countries on life expectancy, education, and per capital income, is 0.510, a low level; Haiti is positioned at the 170th of 189 countries on this index.
Arguably one of the significant priorities would be to improve the education system to stimulate the development of Haiti. The article 26 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) emphasized the question of Education:
“ Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.
Elementary Education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional Education shall be made generally available, and higher Education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.”
Article 26 is considered a milestone regarding Education for all people and nations; however, like several developing countries, Haiti faces many challenges. In Haiti, education is not always free, and education is not always accessible for the citizen in La Gonâve either.
Elementary Education shall be compulsory; however, the citizen of Haiti, and particularly the people of La Gonâve, must pay for it and even invest in it, and more often, the poorest neither the poor can’t afford the tuition.
Providing education for people by learning foundational knowledge transferable into further education or practical skill is one solution to reduce poverty and inequality. Investing in primary Education is a key to a sustainable development because it is thought to have a more significant impact on development growth; however, technical and professional training may not be forgotten.
“Technical and professional education shall be made generally available.” La Gonâve is an island of Haiti, separated from the mother island, so the issues that Haiti faces have a higher impact on this small island. The lack of access to quality education in the long term may prevent citizens from reaching their potential.
Education is necessary for economic development but also for human and health development. Health is the presence of physical, mental, and social welfare. Education allows healthcare providers to provide the proper procedures for a patient to stay healthy; it assures that people develop knowledge and utilization of the best if not the up-to-date knowledge to lead better lifestyles.
Education is also linked to not only gainful employment but also to reducing inequality and violence. School is the primary environment that provides a secure place for children and help them develop social interactions, learn conflict resolution, therefore, preventing the increase of youth violence.
Nelson Mandela was a human rights activist, among all his titles, and he highlighted the importance of Education for a society “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through Education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”